Fafsa help?

I m trying to fill out my fafsa information but I m running into trouble. Under the financial information category they keep asking for my income tax return but I never did that, nor know what that means. I m not sure if that s a question in regards for my parents or myself. I used to live with my mother last year... show more I m trying to fill out my fafsa information but I m running into trouble. Under the financial information category they keep asking for my income tax return but I never did that, nor know what that means. I m not sure if that s a question in regards for my parents or myself. I used to live with my mother last year and she claimed me on her 2016 taxes, which I have the information for, but I just moved in with my grandparents last february due to her going to prison, and my grandparents are in a complete different state, so I don t have any of her personal information if I need that.

For the FAFSA, there is a series of questions (are you over age 24, married, supporting your own dependent, etc) that determines whether you have to provide parent information. If you can't answer yes to one of those questions, you are considered a dependent student and must provide information for both yourself and your parent (there are separate sections for each of you). This is true even if you don't live with the parent, she is not supporting you, you are not claimed on a parent tax return, or she isn't paying for your education. You can only use the information for a biological or adoptive parent, not a grandparent. That being said, the system does recognize that there are situations in which it would be impossible or unsafe for a student to provide parent information. This includes circumstances such as a history of abuse, abandonment, incarceration or parents that are mentally or physically incapable of providing information. Since your mother has been incarcerated, and assuming that your father is not in the picture, you may be eligible for and override that would change your dependency status to independent. If that were the case, then you would not need to provide parent information. You should contact the financial aid department at the school you intend to attend for information about their process for this. Generally speaking, you would need to provide a written statement of your circumstances and two letters from professional sources who are familiar with your situation, such as a teacher, social worker, counselor, pastor, police or counselor. Documentation of your mother's incarceration may also be needed. If it is determined that you are an independent student, then you will only enter information for yourself on the FAFSA. If you did not file a tax return, simply answer "I'm not going to file" for the question that asks if you filed a tax return. The application will then skip over questions about a tax return. If you didn't work at all enter 0 for the question that asks about your wages from work. If you did work, but weren't required to file a tax return, enter the amount of your wages. You can find that information in Box 1 of the W-2 form that your employer gave you. )